Glass Girl
by DayoNight7
Summary: I'm translucent. I'm flawed. I'm delicate. "It was you all along, wasn't it?" she shook her head in disbelief. I'm breaking. I'm cracking. I'm shattering. "So this is it." I hold no value. I'm a mistake. "Do it." I'm not alive. "Kill me."
1. Chapter 1

** "Glass is a strange thing. It's so fragile, so common, so cheap. It can withstand immense force when dealt with accordingly, but can also be shattered into a million pieces with the slightest rough touch. It glitters just as good as other materials and metals, shines even brighter, but it has such little value. It's smooth and cold, and when broken, can cut. It's translucent, it's flawed, and it's delicate."**

_I'm breaking. I'm cracking. I'm shattering. _

Deep breaths filled the emptiness of her lungs. Tears stung like poison in the back of her eyelids, so she pressed the palms of her hands harshly against her deceiving orbs in means of stopping them. Her shaking knees gave away her resolve, and she could practically _feel _him smirking at her crimson face. She dug her palms harder into her eyes, to the point where a plethora of fireworks exploded on the black curtain of her lids.

_I'm translucent. I'm flawed. I'm delicate. _

_** "**_**People are a lot like glass. They come in different shapes, sizes, colors, textures, history. They are strong, they are weak, they are fragile. They are cold. They are made in an explosion of passions, and some are works of art; others are mistakes. They cut when they are hurt. They're common and hold little value, because we're so abundant." **

_I hold no value. _

Her breathing slowed, the pain in her heart spreading like needles of fire across her body. Her stomach flopped, and she felt light headed and nauseous. She finally removed her palms from her eyes, and glanced up at his unmoving form. He was still watching her, calculating his next move carefully. To her surprise, the usual look of amusement was washed off his face. The handsome visage a now cold, pale, dangerous expression.

_I'm a mistake. _

**"You see, people and glass do have a lot of things that are different as well. Glass is not alive, but," he chuckled. "Some people aren't either, really, eh?"**

_I'm not alive. _

"So this is it, huh?" she swallowed hard, giving a dry bark of a laugh. "The end of the line?"

He said nothing.

"It was you all along." she shook her head in disbelief. He still stood there watching her; forever watching. "I didn't want to believe everybody, but they were right. I'm always wrong."

He kept in his position, a stone for a face and his form like a statue. She walked forward with more confidence than what she felt. She grabbed at her waist and pulled on her leather strap, not looking, but knowing her sword fell with the audible _clink _that ricocheted in the quiet of the forest. His eyes widened as she continued to advance forward, and was a mere four inches away from his body.

"Do it." she licked her lips nervously, the breeze tousling her hair, and the loose strands getting stuck in the new moisture. Her cheeks wore a crimson from the icy winds. "Do it."

He continued to watch, his face giving no signs as to what he was thinking. The tops of the leave-less trees swung in the near winter air, creaking quietly. Her head was tilted up, giving her the advantage to look into his eyes. The weakness was always in the eyes. That's how he read her so clearly, like he did now.

She was serious.

Kneeling down cautiously, she grasped his large hand in her much tinier, cold one and lead it to the handle of his own silver weapon. She curled his fingers around it and pulled it out gingerly. A large snowflake fell from the gray heavens, placing itself on her long lashes and melting, sliding down her cheek like the tears she never shed. She had to be strong. At least on the surface.

_I'm translucent. I'm flawed. I'm delicate. _

Sliding it next to her slender neck, she dug the blade into her soft skin, not enough to break the flesh, but enough to give a sense of danger. She felt her pulse on the metal, and she knew that he did too. He still did not move.

"Do it." she urged, letting her arms fall limp to her side, giving up all fight. Her eyes set in stone. "_Kill __me._"

He pulled the sword back, lifting it up in the air, as he had done so many times on the battlefield...


	2. Chapter 2

Her voice floated like a flute; a chord fit for angels. Her Caribbean blue eyes fluttered close, her head tilted back as the heavenly notes cascaded, placed carefully one after the other. Her swaying hips and twisted expression was hypnotizing. Her long silver hair gently rocked in the wind, the warm breeze unfurling the curls. She sang her heart out, in every performance.

That's how Sakura would forever remember her mother.

When her mother sang, it helped the rosette to forget. She would forget the pain her mother put her through. She would forget how angry she got when her mother would reach for another hit of intoxicating drug. She would forget the many nights her mother left her alone, the missed concerts and rehearsals; after all, it was because of her mother that she began to sing in the first place. She chose to remember her mother singing, because when her mother sang, she was no longer that person.

She was the woman before her father died. The woman who would carry her to bed at night. The woman who cooked her dinners and read her stories and braided her hair. Who taught her harmonies and would take naps in the basking noon sun underneath the walnut tree in the old garden. The woman who would kiss her father when he returned from work, who spent her time telling stories and making beautiful music. She was healthy, she was gentle, and she was her _mother._ That's how she would forever remember her.

Even as sickly as her mother became, as soon as she parted her thin lips and released the feathery notes, she would transform. Her resolve returned to her once more, her emotions rejuvenated, and if one would look close enough, she appeared to curve back out from her then sunken form. But as soon as the music stopped and her voice cut off, she would return to that weak woman, and Sakura would cling to the few scarce moments she had of that ghost; it was a brief, minor rise to a major fall.

The green eyed beauty still did not know why she chose to sing as her profession, even though it brought back memories of her now deceased mother; maybe _that_ was her answer. She felt like a different person when she sang, somebody who held importance. She felt stronger, more sure of herself. It reminded her of how much her father loved her mother's voice, and the pride that shone in his identical jade eye as she sung her first notes. There was power in her music. It was the closest thing that they had in common with the heavens.

Sakura was going to continue to sing, to make people hear her. She was going to follow in her mother's dreams, but take a different path and create her own footsteps for someone to follow. She was going to make it all the way to the Courts. She was going to preform for the King and Queen. She was going to become the legend her mother almost was. She was going to do great things in this world.

She just felt it in her bones as she sat willfully on her parent's graves.

Walking down the dusty road, Sakura smiled at passing merchants and nodded at the pedestrians that were out for a stroll, possibly running errands, just as she was. The rosette gripped her leather satchel closer to her body, pressing through the thin crevasse between two carts. After she visited her folks humble resting places, she had to pick up a bag of groceries and purchase a new string for her broken guitar. The latter was the most essential, for that was part of her biggest income.

The farm lands were exquisite here, what with the fertile soil and the lush green texture. It was what her home town was most renown for; besides her voice that is. Glass blowing, music, and farming were their biggest trade, and the jade eyed girl was ecstatic about that. Despite her mother's previous bad reputation, people had still held her high in regards of her vocal talents, and gave the rosette praise even before they heard her voice. But she didn't live for her mother's past, or even the standards that everybody expected of her. She sang because it was something she's always held dear, and she wouldn't give it away for anything in the world.

Entering the tiny wooden shop, the young girl breathed in a sigh and walked towards the front counter, where a very old, withered man smiled at her with missing teeth.

"Ah, Sakura! What brings you in here today?" he chuckled, already knowing her answer.

Blowing a piece of unusual pink hair from her eyes, she answered. "I broke my guitar string again, Bomi. I don't know why it's so fragile!"

"Maybe it's you that needs to be more fragile. They may be made of metal, but they aren't steel." he grinned, pushing forward the thin string. "I presume it was an E string?"

She nodded. "You know me so well."

"That I do. That'll be-"

"Twenty pence, I know." she huffed, shoving her fist into her bag, fishing for the amount. "You'd think I'd already have the money out, with how many times I come here."

"I don't mind your company. It's a nice change really. Many of these musicians are surprisingly dull. No passion." he shook his white head. "I just don't understand."

"Hm, people nowadays." she pulled out the desired amount, but also pulled out a few more coins. "Always predictable. I forgot to mention I would also like a new strap. The damn thing broke too."

"Of course it did, Sakura." he whistled as he headed to the back room.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" the rosette laughed, propping herself up on the counter. A twinkle in the corner of her jade orb had her looking down to her right. She picked up a guitar pick, twisting it in the light that flowed freely through the shop window. It glistened brightly, almost glowing with iridescent colors, similar to that of a bubble. "Bomi, did you get a new set of guitar picks?"

"Why, I do believe so." his gravely voice was faint from the stuffy back room. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I was just admiring one of them is all. Very beautiful." She paused. "How much?"

"Depends on which one you're looking at." He walked through the doorway with three leather straps in hand, eying the item between her fingernails with interest. "Oh, those are from the new glass set. Made straight from the glass shop down the street too." By her skeptical look, he shook his head. "No it won't break. Tougher than iron, those things are." he nodded his approval and laid out the straps.

"How is glass tougher than iron?" she questioned, her pink brows furrowing in genuine curiosity.

"Well, depends on how you make it." he winked and turned his attention back on the guitar straps. "We have your old one, which I brought out in case you enjoyed that piece. But it also now comes in this darker brown, which I thought would make your instrument look much more professional." he laughed heartily as she rolled her eyes. "But we also had this new ivy design shipped in that I thought suited you well, though it is a few pence extra."

"Choices, choices. That old strap didn't last six months...so I suppose the ivy strap. It is much more elegant, I have to say. Oh well, money for quality, eh?"

She handed over the money in exchange for her purchases, but instead of leaving, she rocked on both feet, biting her lip. She glanced back down at the picks, sheer want on her face. Bomi raised a snowy brow. Breathing out in deep desperation, she reached down and picked up the tiny piece of glass, shoving it over the counter. She opened her purse to dig for the remaining amount, but a soft hand stopped her movements.

"It's ok, Sakura. On the house. You _are _one of my most loyal customers, and friend if I do say so myself. Just promise me that when you go and play at the Court and become known for your much deserved talents, to continue to buy your musical needs from me."

"Bomi, I couldn't possibly-"

"I said it's alright, child! You need your money to support yourself, now that your caretaker has left."

"I make plenty enough, thank you." she sniffed, gathering her things and shoving them into her bag. "I just had a plentiful concert, and I have a bit of extra spending money. She wouldn't have left if she didn't think I could take care of myself."

"Very true." he agreed,ending their bickering by straightening his posture as a very stiff gentleman stepped through the door.

Sakura winked at the old man and whispered a good bye before trudging out the shop and into the streets. The bustling people surrounded her like a comfortable cloak, their murmuring conversations and occasional greetings her way were warm and lighthearted. She breathed in deep, already smelling the baking bread and fresh vegetables as she made her way closer to the market.

Standing at the edge of the little busy circle, she decided to start at the fruit stand. It was the closest to her, and her plan was to just make her way around the stores. As she moved around, one store after the next, a few words behind her caught her short attention. Her ears perked to hear more.

"...what he said, apparently." A burly man shrugged.

"You're kidding." A lanky woman gasped, pulling a hand to her heart dramatically.

"No I am not. The King is looking for somebody to preform for his Court this Winter Solstice. He told his recent Chorus that they were relieved of their duties until further notice."

"But His Majesty has never done something so brash before." the woman mumbled.

"I didn't expect any less. You know how our King is; short tempered and illogical. I don't understand how the Queen can put up with him." he scoffed, pulling a bruised cucumber from the pile of vegetables Sakura had previously picked through. Sakura continued to dump rice into the small bags that were provided, trying hard not to appear to be the eavesdropper she was. "Their Majesties are so old, I wonder how long it will take until somebody plans a Coup de Teat."

The woman ignored his last remark. "You must understand where they are coming from. They weren't always like this. They had previously lost their daughter and-"

"Woman, that was decades ago!" he grunted. "They should be over it by now."

"Nobody gets over losing a child. When Kouto never came back from that war, it changed poor Nani. You know she never looks at her other kids the same? No wonder her husband left her..."

As they faded into the normal town gossip, the rosette paid for her goods and tightened the bags of grain on her belt, the rough bags thumping against her hip as she walked. She grinned wickedly to herself as she made the long trip back home. She was so happy she decided to head to town today. She was going to make sure that the King chose her to play at Winter Solstice. And she had just the piece for it too.

With the smile still gracing her lips, she rummaged through her groceries, pulling out the tiny brick of chocolate she bought for her pleasures and gnawed on a brittle piece. She relished in the way it melted in her mouth. She would achieve her life long goal, and she would not only make the people of her town proud, but her parents as well.

Grasping the bent metal in her palm, Sakura twisted the stained doorknob and pushed it open with a gust of cool air. The auditorium was empty, save for herself. She figured a little practicing before the King came into town to hear people audition would do her some good. Padding to the middle of the worn stage, she sat down her trusty instrument and cracked open the case. A lone chair sat under the only light in the entire building. She gently lifted the wooden guitar from it's bindings and sat it in her lap, relishing in the intimate weight.

Whispering under her breath, she counted out the beats before stroking the strings, the rich sound echoing in the vacant arena. The chords poured from her calloused fingertips before the first note of her very own piece leaked out from her delicate throat. It was a soft sound, like the quiet before a storm. She closed her eyes, letting the music take over her much like the way she saw her mother do so many times before. Her foot kept the beat, but her fingers composed a story. Her voice flowed like water, giving the details to accompany the piece.

It was truly a broken hallelujah. The bittersweet emotion brought tears to her own eyes, but at the same time made her smile. It reminded her of all the good times and the bad, and when she was finished, the room seemed to be more alive. The silence was applauding her, and she had an urge to play another piece. But as she strung the first chord to the encore, a sharp clap to her right had her snapping her head to that direction.

"Wow." A deep voice echoed off stage. "Just, wow."

"Who's there?" she carped, squinting her eyes into the audience seating. "Show yourself!"

"Take it easy." the voice called again, and she heard heavy footsteps approaching the stage. As he entered the light, the first thing she noticed was bright blonde spikes and a deep ocean blue churning in amusement. "I'm not here to hurt you." A quick glance of those deep blue eyes and he registered her stiff positioning with her guitar behind her. "Or your instrument."

Sakura still eyed him suspiciously. "What are you doing here while the auditorium is closed?" she began slowly.

"I could ask you the same thing." he crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned against on the side of the stage.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm _preforming. _What you're doing is loitering." she scowled, packing up her guitar. The rosette was annoyed that her session had to end so quickly due to the blonde stranger. She only got to play one piece, she though with a mental pout. "And illegal."

"Who are you preforming to?" he swept his hand in a big gesture toward the empty seats. "Caspar?"

"No. I'm just practicing."

"I thought you were preforming."

Sakura threw her hands up. "Same thing!"

"But I thought preforming implied an audience and practicing-"

"Oh, give it a rest already!" she growled, picking up her case.

"Why so touchy?" he put on a hurt face, but his voice was dripping with muse.

"Because a stranger very rudely interrupted my session."

The man huffed a laugh. "Well, my name is Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." he smiled. "I'm no longer a stranger now. What's yours?"

The pink haired beauty stared at his bright face for a few moments, before her gaze flickered to the crest on his breast. "That symbol...you're a knight of the Lilt Court." she murmured.

He quickly glanced down at the offending material, before pulling it out from his body to look at it. "Huh, I guess I am. Well, somebody has to keep the King and Queen here safe."

"Oh stop playing stupid, you idiot!" she hissed, hoisting her guitar case and making a move to exit.

"Who said anything about playing?!" he called after her.

She was in no mood to play games, and all she wanted was to eat a hot meal, practice a few more songs _in private_, bathe, and go to her soft bed to fall asleep in the silence of her empty home. But the knight must have had other plans, for he jogged up to her and grasped her hand into his own, yanking her back gently to face him.

"Wait." he grumbled as she watched him expectantly. "You never told me your name."

She stared at him solidly once more, before sighing in defeat. "Sakura Haruno. Pleased to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be getting home."

With that and a final exaggerated salute, she pushed open the ancient door and shoved her way into the darkening street. She made it another three hundred feet before she was pulled back once more. With a low growl, she whirled around and planted a steady smack to the side of his head.

"You just don't give up, do you?!"

Naruto rubbed the side of his face tenderly. "Damn, Sakura-chan, that really hurt." he said with a wince.

The rosette tapped her foot guiltily, but offering any sympathy. She was frustrated, yes, but the slap was mostly of reflex. "Well, what did you expect? You're annoying me. Now what is it that you want _now_?!"

The blonde turned back into the smiling idiot, ignoring the sting on his throbbing cheek. "You sing beautifully. I've...never heard anything like that before. It was truly amazing.

"Thank you." she said, shifting onto her other foot, uncomfortable under his admiring stare.

"Where on earth did you learn to sing like that?"

Sakura hesitated, but looking into his genuinely curious baby blues, she caved. "My mother..."

"Wow, she must have been some swell gal, because those are some truly gifted vocal chords."

The green eyed girl giggled lightly. "Yeah, she was."

They continued walking, how she let him walk with her willingly, she would blame it on distraction. The duo walked mainly in silence, though it was comfortable. The breeze blew her skirts gently, and she almost forgot of his presence until he spoke again.

"I take it you sing for a living?" he mumbled.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Well, you were pretty possessive of your guitar back there." he chuckled, watching as her face screwed into a distasteful expression.

"Of course I will be! Aren't you possessive over your weapons, _knight_?"

"Naw." he grinned a goofy grin. "I normally lose them in battle anyways."

Sakura scowled. "What a terrible knight!"

"No way! I'm the best of the best! My dream is to one day be King. Wouldn't that be great? I would do so many great things..." he trailed off dreamily.

"But the royal family has been passing down the throne from generation to generation. You're not of their blood...are you?"

"A branch of it, yes. From my mother's side at least. Though I look a _lot _like my father. But you're right, it's always the main trunk of the monarchy, isn't it?" he soughed deeply but quickly returned to his laid back stature, and the pink haired woman wondered how he of all people was a knight. "Don't you have any dreams, Sakura-chan?"

Her eyes gleamed with ebullience. "Oh yes. I want to play for the Lilt Court, and maybe even travel to Courts outside of our Kingdom. I want people to hear my mother's music, _my _music, and to stop branding my family as..."

"...outcasts?" he answered knowingly. A solemn look rolled over his boyishly handsome features.

"Yeah, how did you...?"

"Well, takes one to know one I guess." he laughed loudly, trying to break the awkward silence. Sakura watched him warily.

"You laugh a lot."

He turned to her, another smile grazing his lips, but this one a bit more reflective. "If you can't laugh at yourself sometimes, life isn't worth living, is it?"

"Wise words for a young fool."

"Aw, don't be like that, Sakura-chan!" he pouted, but his tone of voice spoke of other amusements. "But I'm almost positive your dream will come true."

"And how do you figure that?" she stopped whilst facing him, placing a hand sternly on her jutted hip.

"With a voice like that?!" he whistled. "The King would be a damn fool not to hear it. Seriously, Sakura, you sent tears to my eyes. And it's hard to make me cry."

"I bet you cry like an infant whenever you're alone."

"You're a bitter old hag, aren't you?" She stomped his foot harshly, relishing in the pained yelp that leaked from his throat. "I mean a talented young beauty who will make it far in life."

"Muuuuch better." she drew out in a sing songy voice, clamping her hands behind her back and strolling away as the bags swished against her legs.

"But I really think you could do it!" he caught up, limping but no longer panting in discomfort.

"Yeah I just need the opportunity...which...I think I have one." she smirked deviously, stopping once more. She silently wondered just by how much time she was prolonging her walk home by stopping so much in one short amount of time.

"Really now?" he quirked a blonde brow.

"Yes. But you can't tell anyone!"

"I swear it. Now what is this big opportunity of yours?" he asked, his voice laced thick with withheld information. Sakura did not take notice.

"I heard in the market today that the King has relieved his Chorus, and he is in need of some entertainment this Winter Solstice. Hence, where I come in." she proclaimed, her chest puffing out subconsciously. "I believe there may be an announcement for some kind of audition, I suppose. That's why I was practicing tonight, which you so rudely interrupted me, might I add once more."

Naruto's voice dropped an octave. "But Sakura, I don't think that's going to work."

Her face looked stricken, her jade eyes panicky, and she bite her bottom lip in frustration. Naruto frowned grimly, though his eyes did not pair. "But you said so yourself that the King would be a fool not to listen to me! I work so damn hard! Wouldn't he at least give me a chance?"

Naruto slowly shook his head, his blonde spikes bouncing. "Sakura, the King relieves his Chorus every year at Winter Solstice, and he's _always _invited other musicians from around the land to come and play. It's always been that way." he shrugged. "Besides, you need to be personally invited. There is no real audition."

All hope flitted from her eyes as she casted her gaze downward toward her dirty shoes. Silently, she kicked a stone. "I never have _any_ luck, do I?" she whispered. "Damn it all." Her head came up with her stare at the blonde's oceanic orbs. "How do _you _know all of this, anyway?!"

"Uhm, _hello_? Knight here. King's right hand man? Ringing any bells?" he coughed into his hand obnoxiously. "Of course I would know these things!"

"Geesh. Narcissist."

"Again with the insults? Not my fault things are the way they are." he sniffed, folding his solid arms across his chest. "Blame somebody? Blame the King. It's not like he'd personally go out and hand the invitations himself though. No, he's too fat and lazy for that. Though I wouldn't say that junk to His Majesty's face. No, he'd send his crew to do the dirty work."

"As if inviting hopeful performers and crushing the dreams of young musicians is dirty work." she snorted.

"Eh, the King doesn't get out much. So, whilst I'm at the topic, how would you like to come play for the King?" he said casually, still walking even as the rosette stopped dead in her tracks.

"_What_?!" she shrieked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously as he turned around to face her.

"Of course, there will be a musician invited from one of each of the twelve knight's choices to compete with. Tough competition, I must say. Normally we follow musicians around for a while and hear them preform a few times, but after hearing you sing, whew, I was a goner."

"What?" she breathed.

"Geesh, what are you? Retarded?" he scoffed. "I asked you to come as my musician choice."

"You mean...I'll...with you...to...?" The blonde nodded enthusiastically. Sakura screamed a high pitched squeal and flung herself into his arms. "I've never been so happy to be stalked by a stranger!" She pulled back. "But you said there was no audition. And he always chose from different Kingdoms."

"Well, technically it's not an audition, because you'll all put on a concert for the King and Queen and a few Nobles before the actual Winter Solstice where all three Courts come together. So, technically you'll still be singing for this Court. Well, the major components anyways." he grinned sheepishly, tugging her closer in a playful gesture. "And he normally does, but this year he decided to try out the talent in his own Kingdom."

"I can't thank you enough, Naruto!" The green eyed girl gave him a final squeeze before pulling away fully, and turning back on her heel to walk home. "I can't believe this! When do we leave?!"

"Whenever you can pack and have your things ready, but the concert isn't for a few weeks, so we have plenty of time." he nodded, his hands laced together behind his head lazily. "I really do think you'll make it to Winter Solstice. There's just something about your voice..."

She ignored his last remark and was nearly buzzing with excitement. "Good, because there's a lot of things I want to do before we leave."

Sakura continued down the road, rambling on about visiting her parents grave and telling Bomi about her sudden departure. She was on light air, nearly floating to her house as she aimlessly talked to the blonde. She was finally going to do it. She was finally going to be able to make not only her parents and Bomi proud, but herself as well. She smiled to herself. Who knew such good things could actually come her way for once?

**A/N: Hey guys! I STARTED ANOTHER STORY. Yes, yes, I plan on finishing Somebody That I Used to Know...eventually. Thank you for all the support as well! Sorry if it wasn't what you were expecting but, oh well. I know it's happy (sorta) right now, but is IS the beginning of the story, and I warn that it'll change later on. **_**Warning: Promotion of sorts: **_**For all you angst lovers out there, I recommend my short story Take Care. You can find it on my profile, since it would be hard to find on the search box. (Trust me on this one you guys.) **

**Oh! And ****Twila Dawn,**** send me your email and we'll talk about the details, because that sounds like a lot of fun! Thank you all for reading! New chapter soon! **

**Read, review, enjoy. **

**Read on, **

**~Dayonight7**


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